NINE school crossing patrols across Caerphilly County Borough could be saved from the axe.
The local authority’s cabinet met today (Thursday February 27) to finalise budget proposals for the coming financial year.
The budget will be debated and voted on at a meeting of all councillors this evening.
Cllr Eluned Stenner, the cabinet member for finance, said the council had reassessed a cost-cutting measure to stop the patrols, and was now seeking to withdraw the proposal from the final budget.
Caerphilly County Borough Council is also expected to amend an original plan to cut public transport spending after receiving “positive” news of more Welsh Government bus funding, she added.
Cllr Sean Morgan, who leads the local authority, described the budget-setting process as “most difficult” given the financial pressures councils currently face.
Caerphilly hopes to deliver a balanced budget by making a series of temporary and permanent savings, the “one-off” use of reserves, and increasing council tax bills by a proposed 7.9%.
Reserves continue to prove a contentious issue between the county borough’s Labour group – which controls the council – and the Plaid Cymru group in opposition.
Ahead of the final budget meeting, Plaid said Cllr Greg Ead had worked with council officers on an alternative set of proposals, which would limit a council tax rise and instead call on “unused” reserves cash to balance the books.
“In developing this alternative budget, Plaid Cymru have demonstrated that by allocating 16 reserves, £3.145m is immediately available to be released,” explained Cllr Ead. “We have identified a further 21 reserves totalling £7.543m, that should be analysed with a view to releasing them to support the 2025/26 budget to protect against cost-cutting.
“We want to protect the public at these difficult times and ensure fee increases and charges are kept to a minimum, while at the same time reducing the impact of a council tax rise.”
Cllr Ead called on Labour to “look seriously” at the proposals, which he said were a “viable and financially responsible alternative” to those already put forward.
At the cabinet meeting, however, those present warned against relying on reserves as the solution to financial pressures.
Cllr Stenner called reserves an “essential part of good financial management” and said Caerphilly currently holds a total of £189m.
Most of this is already allocated to specific projects, and the figure is expected to drop to £41m over the next three years, the meeting heard.
According to a report, the council’s budget proposals will leave the unallocated General Fund of reserves with a balance of around £14.3m at the end of the current financial year – down from £34.4m a year ago.
Stephen Harris, the council’s head of financial services, told cabinet members: “If we are not careful, we could get to a situation where these reserves could be eroded.”
Away from the cabinet meeting, Cllr Ead contended his alternative budget “prioritises public services and economic sustainability while reducing the burden on residents”.
